


All the Stars in the Sky

by throughthevoid



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Basically just mindless cuteness, F/M, Fluff, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 12:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5333825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/throughthevoid/pseuds/throughthevoid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor surprises Clara on her birthday, fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Stars in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic I'm posting on this account! Comments are welcome. Inspired by Clara Oswald's birthday last week <3

Why did Clara always insist on having a life outside the TARDIS?

The Doctor bit at his thumb, lounging impatiently on the couch. It wasn't really his couch, per say, it was Clara's. But she wasn't home, so she wouldn't mind, right? 

The TARDIS waited in her bedroom, parked there since early this morning. Why did she have to be gone so long? The Doctor had already completed a book of word problems for her, solved a little cube with coloured squares (he remembered Clara calling it a "Rubix Cube" once), and read through half the English teacher's supply of books. 

With an exasperated sigh, he rose from the couch, knees popping, and took up the project of sorting through her mail. He was sure she wouldn't mind— it was all boring human things anyway. Nothing that really mattered to him. As he thumbed through the various letters he couldn't help but notice the number of cards she received— humans were so bizarre. Cupcakes and balloons and colourful strips of paper... None of that had anything to do with Clara. Did it?

Quickly scanning his mental Earthly calendar, he found it was November 23. Something important must of happened today.

Her birthday! He remembered a voice message on her phone teasing Clara about being old, which had made no sense, because he was 2000 years older than she was and they looked the same age. 

Technically, with all of their journeys in the TARDIS, she was likely older than her friends and family believed she was, but on Earth this was her birthday. And for the first time, he was okay with celebrating that. 

The Doctor wasn't an extravagant man. Well, not all the time. Not when it came to most humans or showing affection. Clara, though, was not "most humans." And he felt an overwhelming urge to make her happy; though he denied it he wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, feel her heart beating as she cradled him close to her chest. He wanted her blinding smile to overwhelm his senses and to lose himself in her joy, the joy that he gave her. He'd deny it, of course he would. But deep down, they both somehow understood how the other felt. Maybe this year he could show her. Surely they were at that stage in their friendship, right? They had to be. And after this, if things went how he had always wanted, she'd be more than a friend.

............................................................

Clara's keys clattered about as she unlocked her flat after another tedious day at Coal Hill. Her friends at the school had been lovely, overwhelming her with praise and jokes and little gifts. It was wonderful, but she was exhausted. A midnight trip to the moon had left her with only a few hours of sleep, and quite frankly, all she had wanted to do all day was go home, slip into pyjamas with a hot cup of tea and read a nice book. 

"Clara! Thank goodness you're home, you've been gone for ages. I was beginning to worry you'd been kidnapped and held for ransom!" A familiar voice made her jump at first, though she grinned when she saw the Doctor hopping up from the couch eagerly. 

"Says the man with a time machine," Clara teased with a grin as she set her bags down. "What's with all the enthusiasm? Not another spontaneous adventure, I hope." That was a lie. They both knew she'd run away with him any time. 

"I was bored. How was your day?" He wrung his hands, leaning casually-but-not-so-casually against her kitchen table. 

Clara eyed him quizzically with a short laugh. "Kids can be idiots, as you always remind me. Long story short it was a long day. Why the sudden interest?" She rose an eyebrow, scanning him up and down. The Doctor had never been the sort to ask about her day; it wasn't that he didn't care, he was simply too excited about everything to focus on a little thing like that. She briefly considered that maybe he asked because it was her birthday, but they'd never celebrated it before, so it couldn't be. She didn't even remember ever telling him when her birthday was. Then again, he did have a time machine. 

"Oh, I have to run and get something! Relax and I'll be right back!" The Doctor vanished into her bedroom, leaving Clara staring at an empty room. She laughed again and sat on the couch after kicking her boots off. He'd completely ignored her question and her answer, but that was typical of him and his absolute ridiculousness. 

When the Doctor returned, it was with a strangely shaped container and—to her utter surprise—a beautiful plant-thing resembling a flower. "What's all this?"

He slowly sat down beside her, weary of the space between them, then handed her the container first, keeping the obviously alien vegetation in his hand. "Well, I was going through your mail because I was bored, and I knew you wouldn't mind, and I remembered it was your birthday. Humans have the strangest celebratory rituals. I...I know I've never done this before but I thought you'd like it," he admitted, biting his lip between his teeth. 

She stared at him a long while, heart doing a little dance in her chest. He'd remembered her birthday, and he wanted to make her happy. Something about the idea of him wanting to please her made Clara blush like a school girl. She grinned, accepting the container and opening the lid. A round, chocolate delicacy sat on a plate, almost resembling a small cake. "A gourmet dessert from 36th century France. A baker figured out how to fill pores of the cake with chocolate or caramel so each bite tastes a little different," he explained shyly, almost as if he was embarrassed. And Clara realised that maybe he was.

"This looks like something potentially sinful," she explained to him gravely, though after a few moments of a panic-stricken Doctor she grinned again, one that seemed to break the tension. "I'm joking, Doctor. This looks delicious, thank you so much!" She set it on the table and turned to face him, legs tucked under her. 

"And, er, I saw this and I thought of you. It...I found it earlier today in the Ethanine Valley, just a few galaxies away. They've got only a little atmosphere but somehow it's enough that the plants can-"

"Doctor," She stopped him, resting a hand on his free one. "This is all very lovely, honestly. But this isn't like you. I mean, I'm not complaining, but what's going on?"

He sighed, letting the flower rest in his lap. He was silent for a long moment, eyes never finding a place to settle, dancing around as if he was searching for something, the right words to say. "I...I wanted to make you happy. It seems as if I'm...falling behind in that area these days. Do you want me to stop?"

His eyes were worried, shy and gentle as they met hers. He was like a little boy afraid to ask the girl he liked to dance with him. And suddenly, all of that false hope didn't seem unrealistic anymore. How long had she waited for him to show any sort of affection, how long had she dreamed he'd take her in his arms and tell her how much he cared for her? How many nights had she spend alone, only wishing the Doctor would long to be with her?

"Never," she decided, her grip on his hand tightening. "Please, go on. I don't want you to be uncomfortable with this. You may be a ridiculous, old Time Lord, but maybe I feel the same way. Ever think of that?"

He met her eyes for more than a moment this time. They never spoke of it— they never needed to. Always a mutual understanding, and never acting on it. He cared for her more than anything and he was determined to show her one day; in that gaze, she showed him she wanted to make him happy, to show him how she cared. 

With another deep breath, he handed her the flower, bringing her fingers to curl around it and covering them with his own. "When I saw it, I thought of you," he began, positive Clara could hear both hearts drumming in his chest. "The planet has very little life, so most of it is wasteland. But the flowers there feed off the stardust, the little particles of meteor and moonshine and the remnants of a supernova. The clever thing absorbs them and it glows a light blue, like ice or the sky, but with more passion. And the stardust finds its way into the petals where it waits for the right night to set a little galaxy free." She gazed at the flower, almost resembling a stout rose with petals nearly the size of her hand. Deep purple melded with the bluish glow, and it seemed to sparkle like all the constellations in the sky. 

"Doctor..." She breathed, and they locked eyes. "This is... this is beautiful. Thank you." She loved this man, she loved him with all her heart, all she was worth. 

"It's my pleasure. But I have one more gift for you."

She set the flowering plant down on the end table, and when she looked back to him he'd pulled a little box out and was holding it out to her. 

"Think of this as making up for lost time. I've missed all of your birthdays so far. I hope..." He paused, and Clara realized she'd been holding her breath. "I hope you're happy with me. I think I would be a much different man if you weren't in my life. Thank you, Clara Oswald, for being impossible."

Tears pricked at Clara's eyes without her consent as she unwrapped the gift, speechless and her heard pounding in her throat. Carefully she opened the little box to reveal a little charm, not entirely different from the flower he'd gotten her. A gemstone, deep purple with strokes of blue sparkled like starlight, bound to a thin chain by silver bonds. That cursed tear found its way down her face, trailing softly along her cheek. "Doctor..."

"Inside is a constellation- it was made to match the flower. They took stardust from a cluster and arranged it to look like a celestial pattern not far from Gallifrey; it was the symbol of curiosity on my planet. Curiosity and love." His voice was small again, though he offered his hand out. She looked up at him. 

He took the necklace from her hand hesitantly, and she watched him with watery eyes. She was so beautiful, even when she was crying. He should tell her more often.

Gently he placed his other hand on her shoulder. He turned her body until her back faced her and he gathered her hair in his hands until it draped over her shoulder. He took the clasp of the silver chain and wrapped his arms around her, positioning the charm just between her breasts and fastening it carefully, fingers brushing against the warm skin of her neck. She shuddered. The deep purple against her cream skin made him want to kiss her. So he did. 

She turned to face him and he brushed his hand against her cheek. He hadn't moved, hardly dared to breathe, and she met his eyes with hopeful curiosity, and her gaze was more wondrous than all the stars in the sky. 

"Doctor?"

"Happy birthday, Clara Oswald," he breathed against her lips as he leaned in, her eyes wide as he nudged her nose as if to ask, is this alright? Are we okay?

When she didn't back off and he could feel a blush rise in her cheeks, he touched his lips to hers. It was just a gentle brush, hardly qualified as a kiss, but when Clara sighed he took his face in her hands and kissed her, really kissed her like he'd always wanted to. 

And when she responded, he felt his hearts leap and collide with each other in his chest. What started as a chaste kiss turned into him savouring her taste, her parting her lips for him and dragging her tongue along his cool lips and wandering occasionally beyond them. He shuddered and she moaned and he tore his lips regretfully from hers, leaving them both breathless despite his superior Time Lord biology. 

"I- I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just-"

"Doctor," she giggled against his lips. "Shut up. Just this once, just shut up."

He grinned, one of those rare smiles that could shine through anything, that could pierce your heart as you saw just how pure and true it was.

"Thank you for everything, it's all so beautiful I have no idea how repay you..."

"There's no need," he kissed the tip of her nose and she blushed, he smiled. "It's your birthday, after all. Oh, did you want to go out and celebrate? Or maybe look at your gifts, or—"

She smiled, pressing her finger to his lips to cut him off.  
"Doctor, I love everything, honest I do, but really I think I'd rather kiss you again."

He beamed and she pulled him in to press her lips to his, the celestial flower shimmering forgotten on the coffee table.


End file.
